Pandora's Box
by Cliodhna
Summary: ON HIATUS! Sequel to Potential. Six months after the events in Potential, everyone seems to be settling down, and there are happy couples everywhere. But when a demon called Pandora bursts through their doors, the happy couples are all too soon in peril.


Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns all recognisable characters. Pandora, Slith, and Sarapis are all Achean mythical Entities.

A/N: This is a sequel to another of my stories, _**Potential**_,and you should read it before this one, because otherwise this'll just be totally confusing. I hope you enjoy!

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**Pandora's Box**

**Chapter One**

'Ooh, Clem, this looks awesome!' Buffy beamed.

'Yeah, you've pretty much excelled yourself this time.' agreed Oz.

Clem grinned at the comments.

'It's nothing,' he batted away the complements, 'It's just a standard Roast Seville orange glazed duck with port wine sauce,' he explained as he began dishing out the food.

'Yes, standard, of course,' Dawn laughed, catching Buffy's eye.

'It's not as good as Giles',' Clem muttered.

'Oh, no, this is wonderful,' Giles smiled at the floppy skinned demon. Althenea smiled at Giles and squeezed his hand under the table.

'Can we stop talking about food and eat it, please?' demanded Spike.

The staff began to pass Clem's perfectly cooked dishes around, laughing and smiling, sharing in each other's jokes.

'So, when are the kids coming back?' Gunn asked from his seat next to Faith. They'd been a couple for four months now. 'Tell me it's not too soon?'

'Charles, Christmas vacation only lasts so long!' Fred stuck her tongue out at him.

'I might be the only one, but I'm sorta lookin' forward to seeing the little nippers again,' Lorne commented.

'You're the only one,' Spike looked at him pointedly.

'Ooh, I don't know, I enjoy my responsibilities as Head Cheese principle girl. If only Snyder could see me now.' Buffy grinned and helped herself to the duck.

'You only enjoy your 'responsibilities' because you have none!' Dawn raised a quizzical eyebrow at her sister.

Buffy pouted. Angel slipped his free arm around her shoulders.

'Oh come on, you do one measly little tour at the beginning of the year and then you laze for the rest of it!' Dawn insisted.

'Hey, it's very tiring. Plus I always have many parents to see, and complaints to sift through, and guest spots in classes. Plus I'm still doing paperwork on Warren.'

'Still?' Cordelia asked. 'That was like six months ago now! And it feels like longer for those of us not all loved up and yucky.' She pouted.

Buffy smiled at Cordelia. 'I'm an overworked little bunny here!' she insisted.

'Bunny?' Anya raised a hand to her chest. 'Where?'

'Overworked little…Buffy, I said, Ahn.'

Angel smiled at Buffy before serving himself a generous helping of duck, one handed.

'Clem! Clem!' A little voice wheezed. Locar was flying with some difficulty, carrying a large bowl of crushed potatoes from the kitchen to the long table in the cafeteria where the staff sat. Clem leaped up to take the dish from Locar, who breathed a sigh of relief and took his seat next to Clem.

'Ooh, pass the potatoes up here!' Vi squealed, grinning at Locar. 'They look great!'

'So back to my original question,' Gunn insisted, 'When do the kids come back?'

'Day after tomorrow,' answered Faith, kissing him on the cheek.

'Bloody hell. Are we s'posed to be all prepared already?' Spike moaned.

'I know I am!' quipped Xander. 'I'm starting my seventh years off with a brisk run through of the collapse of Sunnydale, and then my fifth years are covering the general scheming Wolfram and Hart, and then-'

'Xander, pal,' Spike cut him off, smiling genially. 'I don't care.'

'I care, honey. Continue,' Anya nudged Xander.

Spike turned to Angel, as Xander began to explain earnestly to Anya that his fourth years were learning about the general misdemeanours of pre prison Faith.

'You got a lesson plan already, mate?'

'Sorta. I'll just give them a prophecy that's already been fulfilled and they can research it, find answers. And I'll tell them if they're right.' He frowned. 'That's what I do in every class, really.'

Spike frowned. 'Is everyone else organised?' he asked the table.

'Uh, yeah,' Dawn replied, with everyone else nodding their agreement.

He turned to Raven. 'Are you organised, baby?'

'There isn't much to prepare for in the library, really. I'm just glad Kit had such a good system. Which reminds me, has anyone heard how she and Layla are doing lately, out on the field?'

'Yeah, they're fine,' Buffy answered. 'They met up with Kennedy, Colleen and Chao-Ahn the other day, to fight some big cookin' evil in Ohio.'

'They okay?' Raven asked, concerned about her old partner.

'Yeah they beat it easy,' Buffy replied, before turning back to Angel.

Spike was deep in thought. 'Buff?' he said thoughtfully.

'Yeah?'

'Could you guest spot in my class tomorrow, and talk to my sixth years about your brief stint as a corpse?'

'Sure thing,' Buffy smiled at him.

'And Angel, could you come in for my third years and talk to them about your hell dimension days?'

Before Angel could answer, Lorne cut in. 'Hey! I grew up in Pylea! Why aren't you asking me?'

Cordelia horned in on the discussion. 'Pylea? I could talk for days about Pylea…' she said dreamily.

Fred raised her eyebrow. 'I think I could talk a little more accurately about it.'

Wesley put his arm around her.

"Why do you want me to talk about it anyway, Spike, you teach Slayer history, not Scooby history.' Angel raised an eyebrow at him.

'Oh, I meant you to tell about the beginning and the end parts of it, so you include Buffy in them. And then I can tell my second years about some dead slayers, and my thirds about some live ones…' he trailed off, mumbling to himself.

'Don't worry, Spike, It's just another few months 'til summer,' Buffy smiled.

'Thank God, man,' Gunn sighed.

'Speaking of Pylea…' Cordelia began slowly.

'We haven't been talking about Pylea for a while, now, Cordy,' Willow raised her eyebrows at the brunette.

Ignoring her, Cordelia ploughed on. 'Anyone heard from Groo lately?'

'Uh, yeah, he sent a letter a couple weeks ago,' Harmony frowned. 'I think it's in my desk.'

'How's he doing?' Cordelia asked. The Groosalugg had kept in touch with everyone over the years, and occasionally dropped in to talk to the students, but Cordelia had tried to stay out of his way, afraid that he might still be upset with her.

'He's fine. Out battling the forces of evil as usual,' Harmony nodded. 'Mentioned he might visit sometime.'

'Awesome. He's so hot…' Rhona grinned.

'Hey! None of that, junior, he'll be here on business!' snapped Cordelia, wiping the smile off Rhona's face.

'Relax, ladies, I believe the dessert course is coming up!' Lorne said soothingly.

The chatter died down for a moment as everyone helped load their empty dishes onto Clem's dinner cart, and waited for their dessert.

As they were tucking into their chocolate orange mousse, talk turned to their students.

'I know you're not supposed to have favourites, but I just love Eva O'Connell. She's so fiery for a young thing,' Lorne grinned.

'Eva, she's a witch, right?' Buffy asked. 'I always liked her brother. Elijah?'

'Yeah,' Willow nodded. 'They're both in my classes. They're pretty good, I gotta say.'

'I think our opinions are clouded by the fact that those students all helped save our lives a few months ago. And if that's the basis for the comparison? I like Sophie best.' Spike commented.

'You're right, in a way, but I like some of my other students, too,' Andrew nodded. 'There's a guy in my third year class who just loves Doctor Who. He's fun.'

Everyone stared for a moment.

'And moving onwards…' Giles said, rolling his eyes.

'Ooh, my parents said they might come by for a visit soon,' Fred announced.

'Great, we haven't seen them in way too long!' Cordelia beamed.

'I don't think I've ever met them,' Althenea frowned. 'When were they here last?'

'About two years ago – you and the rest of the coven were on some retreat thing,' Buffy supplied. 'Clem, this stuff is fantastic!' she said, gesturing at the mousse.

Clem grinned. 'Actually, it wasn't me. Locar handled the dessert course today.'

Locar giggled happily.

'Well it's fabulous, Locar. Nice job,' Buffy said.

'Just the right amount of oranginess, I think,' Willow agreed, laughing. 'In fact, I might wanna steal a recipe!'

'You? Cook? Never!' Dawn joked.

Oz looked at Willow, cocking his head. 'I think you're a great cook.'

'Great?' Buffy repeated.

'Actually, I'm gonna go with swell. You're a swell cook, Will.'

'No, my point was, when do you ever cook?' Buffy laughed. 'We always eat here!'

Just as Willow opened her mouth to retort, the cafeteria's double doors crashed open.

A tall, beautiful woman with knee-length black hair stood, shaking, dressed in a revealing white garment, that flowed, semi-transparent, to the floor. The staff stared, open mouthed, as the girl collapsed in a heap on the ground.

xxxxx

Most of the staff had dispersed to their quarters, but Buffy, Giles, Willow and Xander remained in a guest room where they'd placed the girl on the bed.

'Who do you think she is, Giles?' Willow asked for the umpteenth time.

'We'll just have to wait to find out,' Giles sighed.

'Why is she dressed so…' Xander stuttered. 'So, um,' he coughed, 'Pro – pr - provocatively?'

'I don't know, Xander, but in the meantime, you just keep your eyes fixed on the ceiling, there's a good boy.' Buffy shook her head.

Suddenly, the girl stirred. Opening her eyes, she sat up and swept her long hair out of her face.

'Where am…have I come to the – the place? The right place?' she whispered, her voice lilted with an accent the others didn't recognise.

'That depends what you're looking for,' Buffy said, sitting on the end of the bed.

'Help…I need help,' she croaked.

'What's your name?' Giles enquired.

'Pandora…'

'Like with the box?' Xander quipped.

'No. I have no box…everyone always asks me that. Why?' She frowned momentarily. 'I am a demon.' She finished slowly.

'A demon?' Buffy said, surprised.

'Yes, a demon, but benevolent. I came to you because I know you would understand. You have benevolent demons in your order also, do you not?' She shivered slightly. 'I am cold.'

'Xand, get her a blanket. And Pandora, yeah, we have demons working with us. But what is it you need help with?'

As Xander fetched a patchwork blanket from the cupboard, she replied.

'Another demon – Slith. He kidnapped my brother, he wishes me also. I must hide, I must…can you protect me?'

'Of – of course, Pandora. But…' Buffy gestured to Pandora's dress. 'This is a school and, well…'

'You can't wear that walkin' around here, honey.' Willow supplied.

'Of course, I will wear whatever it is needed of me to wear…I will help with your schooling, I will do anything that is needed of me, but you must protect me. Slith has much power, and I am weak.' She sank back into the pillows, and Xander covered her with the blanket.

'Yeah, okay…we'll leave you to rest now,' Buffy said, standing up.

'We'll need full character profiles of both you and this Slith tomorrow, so we can protect you as best we can,' Giles said.

'Yes, anything…' Pandora whispered as she drifted back into unconsciousness.

The others stepped out of the room and stood outside for a moment.

'She genuine?' Xander asked.

'Possibly. We'll know more tomorrow…' Giles replied. 'A remarkable girl.'

'Oh yeah.' Xander nodded vigorously.

'Remarkable? Do you mean 'pretty?'' Buffy asked sarcastically. ''Cause you can just say it, y'know.'

'She was definitely a hottie.' Xander raised an eyebrow. 'But then, she's a demon, so of course I'd think that.'

They started to walk away from the door. 'I don't know,' Willow said. 'She seems kinda off to me.'

'Yeah, I get what you mean – like she was acting a little bit?' Buffy nodded.

As the voices faded away, Pandora crept into bed from where she'd been listening at the keyhole. So they thought they knew what she was all about, did they?

They'd soon see.

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A/N: Okay, so I hope you like it so far. I don't think it'll be as long as Potential, but I'm working on a couple of other things too at the moment, so check out those. I'll update as soon as I can, and please, please review.


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